Jenna Morgan is trying to grieve her husband's death like a proper widow, but the truth is, she never really loved Zach. His death feels more like a relief to her. But that relief is short-lived when she loses her home and the financial support of her in-laws. Now the secrets of her past threaten to destroy her future.

Melinda Hollister's sister and Nick Bryson's brother tragically die in a train wreck, leaving behind three-year-old daughter Nell. Much to Melinda's surprise, she and Nick become co-guardians of the child. The three of them spend July and August at Summerhill, a seaside mansion in Newport, Rhode Island, where they try to get better acquainted and work out a solution to their dilemma with the help of missionary friends.

Though neither loves the other, Melinda and Nick marry to provide a stable home for Nell. But when Nell is kidnapped, they put aside their differences to search for her. Their emerging feelings for each other soon strengthen as they focus their attention on the rescued child they mutually adore.

That's why-a mere four days before the nuptials-Nick finds himself driving to Philadelphia for the monthly meeting of the Vidocq society. Being among a group of forensic professionals consulting on cold cases will surely allow him to feel useful and normal.

But while there he discovers that a close friend has been murdered . . . and in classic Nick style, begins to follow the trail of evidence rather than returning to his fiancie. Fearing that his one-track mind won't lead him home by Saturday, Alena and three of her dogs go to track him down. When she finally finds him, nothing is as Alena expected . . . because the twists in this case will surprise even the most dedicated Bug Man fans.